Family time Community center holds Valentine's Parent/Child dance

ROCHESTER — Snow could not keep six-year-old Olivia Kelley from the Valentine’s-themed Parent/Child Dance at the Rochester Community Center on Saturday night.

Dressed in a pale pink dress with a matching pink bow in her hair, Kelley and her soon-to-be stepfather, Jimmy Connor, Jr., made valentines at the table set up for crafts and other activities. Using foam hearts and letter stickers, Kelley spelled out “Mom” on her valentine.

“We love crafts,” Connor said. “Don’t we, Olivia?”

The little girl nodded, smiling.

Kelley dances at Sole City Dance, the studio on the second floor of the center, and she and Connor noticed signs advertising the event when going to and from the class. They were among nearly 45 people who attended the Saturday’s dance aimed at parents and their children.

“I work six days a week during the day,” Connor said, “so if there is something at night we try to go with the kids.”

According to center staff member Courtney Bernier, this is exactly what center hoped to promote with its second annual dance.

“We try to bring the community together with free events and tonight we had a great turnout,” she said.

Activities included dance contests, “pin the arrow on the heart” and other games, a coloring contest and a family picture area. Bernier said that the photos would be posted to the organization’s Facebook page for families to view.

On the dance floor, the parents played a musical chairs-type bonding game with their children. The kids had to guess what their parents’ favorite food was, and then each parent revealed whether or not the guess was correct.

The results were quite humorous: Many children gave their parents too much credit in terms of enjoying healthy foods, and often guessed fruits and vegetables in place of pizza or chips.

“The kids really get into it,” Bernier said of the dance. “[And] the parents are just great advocates for their kids.”

Bernier said that there were many aunts and uncles in attendance as well, which she saw as a positive thing.

Recreation Supervisor Art Jacobs headed the event, but he said that his staff and volunteers made all of the difference.

“It’s a team effort in the office,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs also acted as an emcee for the dance floor games, a role he appeared to relish.

“It gives kids a chance to get out in the middle of winter and do some activities,” Jacobs said.

According to Jacobs, there will be more events like this in the future. In particular, he hopes to offer more recreation center programming for elementary school children.